Canadian farmhouse becomes a sensitively reimagined family home
Scott and Scott Architects reimagines the remains of an old barn structure into a respectful home that is tied to its context in Canada's West Coast
Set in the rural community of North Saanich in Canada's West Coast, this project by Scott and Scott Architects revived the remains of an old barn structure into a modern countryside family home. Named Saanich Farmhouse, the house bridges typologies and indoors and outdoors environments, as fitting within the Vancouver Island’s southern peninsula's agricultural landscape.
The house, clad in iron salt washed yellow cedar that will weather over time, spans 250 sq m and sits exactly on the footprint of the original farm structure on site. Existing established gardens, a grove of mature trees, a pond and rear food gardens surround the plot. A masonry wall made of salvaged brick defines its borders and anchors it on site.
Upon entering, visitors are guided either to the main living spaces, or a cloak room, water closet and canning kitchen, which can be accessed directly from the kitchen garden and becomes a key workspace for the owners. The living areas on the opposite site of the house feature a more conventional, open plan arrangement that combines seating, a more formal kitchen and dining space. Further along is a double bedroom with direct views to another mature garden.
The living area is an impressive double height space whose exposed gable vault structure of Douglas fir truss bents creates a dramatic internal feature. Timber is omnipresent and becomes a defining element, setting the tone for the interior, either in the more generous, fluid communal areas or the more private bedrooms – a second suite sits just above the ground level one. Bespoke cabinetry was locally produced from grade cut plywood, pigmented with a blue oil to compliment the Douglas fir tones.
Most of the project’s materials were locally harvested and quarried on Vancouver Island; another way that this humble but perfectly orchestrated family home conversion is intrinsically linked to its locale, making it at the same time of its place and fit for the 21st century.
INFORMATION
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).
-
Ama Bar, in Vancouver, is sexy and a little disorienting
Ama Bar features ‘Blade Runner 2049’-inspired interiors by &Daughters
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
Kembra Pfahler revisits ‘The Manual of Action’ for CIRCA
Artist Kembra Pfahler will lead a series of classes in person and online, with a short film streamed from Piccadilly Circus in London, as well as in Berlin, Milan and Seoul, over three months until 30 June 2024
By Zoe Whitfield Published
-
Monospinal is a Japanese gaming company’s HQ inspired by its product’s world
A Japanese design studio fulfils its quest to take Monospinal, the Tokyo HQ of a video game developer, to the next level
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Downs House II inspires West Coast Modern campaign in Vancouver
Downs House II, currently on the market in Vancouver, inspires a West Coast Modern campaign to save the modernist landmark
By Hadani Ditmars Published
-
Toronto’s Rolex boutique wows with dynamic façade
This Rolex boutique in Toronto features a dynamic, wavy façade in CNC-cut limestone created by local architecture studio Partisans
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Promenade Samuel-de Champlain is a riverside boulevard championing urban green
Promenade Samuel-de Champlain in Quebec gives the city’s river back to its community, transforming a previously neglected urban space
By Tianna Williams Published
-
Chez Léon is a contemporary Canadian retreat in the Quebec countryside
This Canadian retreat, an elegant update of the classic cabin in the woods, is part ski lodge, part tree house, combining traditional materials and stunning views with a light footprint
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
House in High Park is a Toronto home to be discovered slowly
House in High Park by Ian MacDonald Architect is a new-build home in Toronto that takes a problematic plot and transforms it into an exhilarating, contemporary residence
By Ellen Himelfarb Published
-
This Québec school evokes a calming atmosphere in tune with nature
This redesigned Québec school inspires a new paradigm in its architecture genre by creating a welcoming, home-like and nature-inspired environment
By Tianna Williams Published
-
Canvas House’s wavy brick façade stands out in its suburban Toronto context
Canvas House by Partisans brings a wavy brick façade to its sleepy Toronto suburban neighbourhood
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Discover Dyde House, a lesser known Arthur Erickson gem
Dyde House by modernist architect Arthur Erickson is celebrated in a new film, premiered in Canada
By Hadani Ditmars Published